Let us start with the obvious benefit of having a trained counsellor devote their entire focus on you and only you. This does not happen when you go to a friend. They might come up with an “It happened to me too!” story of their own thereby diverting attention away from you when you most need it. A counsellor is there for you and you only. Nobody else.

A friends’ understanding may have subjectivity, where as you need objective acknowledgement of your emotional hardship. When emotions are involved, clear thinking is the last thing that happens. Empowering you with knowledge on how to gain the skill of objective thinking is what a counsellor would do.

They will help you learn how to come up with a plan of action that best suits you and the situation. This will build up your self-confidence and self-esteem. You learn how to take control of your own life and how to better communicate your needs to others. You also learn how to set realistic goals and to achieve them.

Another benefit of counselling is nonjudgmental acceptance. As a neutral person, a counsellor offers the comfort of confidentiality. Their credibility depends on it. They understand that what they say has a lot of weight in your life. In many cases, they have a responsibility of a life on their hands. This is a huge responsibility and cannot be taken lightly.

A counsellor will help you have a different perspective by exploring different options that you may have. Others might be so emotionally attached to you that they are not able to help you objectively.

Through the journey you take with your counsellor, you will be empowered in the long run, so you don’t have to run to someone every time you are faced with a situation.

There are many differences between what a professional counsellor can offer you and what a friend can offer you. Let us look at some of the main points.

A friend, by definition, is not objective like a professional. They may or may not know the person you are having the issue with but they will always have an emotional attachment to you. This makes them subjective whereas a professional is trained to stay completely objective to help you.

There is no guarantee that your friendship is going to last forever. After confiding in a person, if they break ties with you, there is always that fear of them using that information against you in some way. A professional will never do that or risk losing their credibility.

How confident are you that this friend will not go and tell someone what you have told them? A professional is, again by default, held to a confidentiality agreement that protects you against this.

How comfortable are you opening up to this friend without fear of being judged is another point to consider. When you meet your friend, you don’t stop to consider what they might think of you. You use them as a shoulder to cry on and pour out your frustrations. It is only later that the guilt sets in about what they think of you or what you have confided in them. A professional is, by default, nonjudgmental.

A friend may or may not know about any childhood trauma that might be a trigger for what you are going through right now. They are not trained to spot the signs. A professional not only has the knowledge but has the skill set needed to steer you to the path that will help you realize the issue and deal with it accordingly.

A friend will give suggestions that may or may not work. A professional will help you realize a plan of action from you that would suit you the best. As you plan, since you know the person you are dealing with, you will be able to better judge what would work with that person.

All in all, having a professional counsel you as opposed to a friend is always the better road to take.